A Lasting Legacy

By Rhiannon Jones Hopkins

Kennith ‘Fred’ Fredrick Holt was a School Carpenter for over 30 years, who sadly passed away in 2019. A master craftsman, he left a visible imprint on the School, in more ways than one.

Paul Gumbell, who worked alongside Fred for thirteen years, paints a vivid picture of his friend’s habits and singularity. Whilst hearing Paul speak, it becomes clear that throughout Fred’s tenure, Westminster went through a myriad of changes, both large and small. His memories and experiences of the School reveal the Westminster of decades past.

Never married and dedicated to his craft, Fred taught Paul the ropes of working at School and spent years passing on his encyclopaedic knowledge of carpentry to the many apprentices he mentored. Eccentric and riddled with as many idiosyncrasies as Westminster itself, Fred committed much of his life to School, whose staff became a surrogate family to him over time. A meticulous record keeper, his ledger dating back to the mid-seventies is now rightly kept in the School archives, and is recognised to be a unique artefact that shows the complexities of School’s daily upkeep. Whilst Fred went about the daily tasks of keeping School’s sprawling buildings in good shape, he became a fixture that many came to rely on for help with set design, art installations and repairs. He was often tasked with replacing replacing countless numbers of window frames, damaged during enthusiastic games of football played in Little Dean’s Yard over the decades.

He taught Woodwork at the School and campaigned to have the first female Westminster pupils included in his lessons, a fact Paul remembers Fred was especially proud of. A man of his time, he was a formal teacher, but was well respected for his command of the subject.

What Fred didn’t know about carpentry isn’t worth knowing, and the pupils knew how lucky they were to have him

During his time at School Fred saw many Royal visits, one of which was during the height of the IRA, where Paul remembers the police searched both of their toolboxes and firmly ➽

reminded them to “keep your feet off the lawn and do not to step on the grass when her Majesty is walking”; a glimpse into a much more traditional time, where hierarchy, both within the School and in society as a whole, was still deeply embedded in everyday interactions.

School was much smaller and more formal when Fred joined in the late sixties, and this formality was something that Fred took very seriously. Always well dressed and organised, he kept the woodwork room in an order that has not since been replicated. His respect for his tools remained throughout his life; from the day he retired in 1997 until the day he died, Fred’s tools were laid out in perfect condition in his home, all lined up and proudly displayed.

Fred was such an integral part of the fabric of School life that he is captured in a mural inCollege. Paul notes the subtle irony that he is painted carrying a ladder, as he was famously phobic of heights and would often been heard uttering some choice words anytime an errant ball was kicked into the loftier parts of School. Sadly Fred passed away in 2019, but not before remembering Westminster School in his Will. His legacy, already embedded within those that worked with him, will now continue through the financial impact his gift will have on the lives of future pupils.

If you are interested in hearing more about Legacies, please contact development@westminster.org.uk

Painting detail showing Fred carrying a ladder (bottom right of the mural)

When asked to sum up Fred in a few words, Paul described him as “a unique character; one in a million. You could never find a double of him. Quiet, gentle and so knowledgeable, a master craftsman and a lovely, genuinely nice person.”